Bahamut
Bahamut is one of the Ten Gods of Etan, taking domain over Justice, Law and Honour. His words are “Justice and Good above all". His day is the tenth of the week and is known as Bahsday. He is usually depicted as platinum dragon or as a paladin figure. He rules Dragonmount, a realm anchored to Tolas. History Bahamut is depicted as being in constant conflict with the god Tiamat, an element of the god that often overshadow the other parts of his character. As such the conflict between the two is depicted as having started at the end of the Dawn War, when the two were shown to have worked alongside one another in a fight against Ogremoch. This is the most common understanding of the god, as one that has been present in Tolas alongside the other gods since its inception. New evidence however, mainly arising from the adventures of an eclectic group of heroes which featured in a series of theatrical plays and later backed up by evidence present by one Hidal of the Order of the Bladed Scholar, that the god Bahamut and his plane are actually relatively recent additions to the pantheon of the world. This new version of the myth, relying primarily on the recent theory of Planar Anchors, holds that Bahamut's plane was untethered from Tolas and began to drift away from the world until the god sent agents to the world to place a new tether, dragging his plane back and into conflict with the forces of Tiamat who opposed him in an event known as the Dragon War. Relationships Bahamut is well known for his relationship with the god Tiamat whom he is often depicted in being constant conflict with. The two dragon gods are depicted as rival siblings locked in a duel that neither side can gain the upper hand, though recent evidence would suggest that in the past that may not have been true, with at least one side being able to break the stalemate. Bahamut's place in the pantheon places him at odds with those gods that would do harm or bring injustice, willing to proactively counter their actions should it be deemed justified. Conversely, Bahamut gets along well with those gods whose ideals align with his such as Moradin, Pelor and Tempus. Worshippers Metallic dragons, while not always being direct worshippers, do hold Bahamut in the highest regard, seeing him as a paragon of their kind and an ideal to strive towards if not the pinnacle of their species. Other dragonkin, such as dragonborn and kobolds will often worship Bahamut, seeing him as the creators or patron of their race. Bahamut is one of the primary gods of Okarthel and its surrounding territories. Elves, humans and many other races of the world often worship Bahamut as a paragon of justice, often ascribing his priests dominion over laws and courts as well as honouring him as the patron of most paladins. Aspects In the worship of the Ten Gods of Etan, the concept of aspects is a common theme, with the gods often each given three different forms, with churches and orders forming around worshipping their god in just one of these aspects. These aspects align with the calendar of Etan with each day of the month being named for one of them. The three aspects of Bahamut most commonly seen in the pantheon are; *Bahamut of the Dedicated Squire - This is the first Bahsday of the month and is where those who have taken new oaths honour them and standby their word. He is often depicted as a lightly armoured young man with a ribbon or piece of cloth wrapped around an arm representing an oath. *Bahamut of the Steadfast Champion - The second Bahsday of the month is meant to celebrate Bahamut in the aspect of a devoted member of the cause of Bahamut, having committed fully to honouring their oaths to the god. He is depicted as an armoured knight always with a helmet covering his face as well as the ribbon or cloth woven around both arms. *Bahamut of the Unmoving Zealot - The third and final Bahsday of the month is honouring the aspect of Bahamut as being wholly devoted to his cause. He is often depicted as either a knight on horseback with weapon drawn charging forward heedless of all around him, or as colossal a platinum dragon with the ribbon around a claw. Scripture Bahamut’s primary text on Tolas is commonly referred to as the Codex Irlym. It contains instructions for those seeking to destroy cults of Tiamat, teaching that one must detach oneself from personal loss in order to seek justice and not vengeance which would be falling for the lure of Tiamat. The text is readily available all over Tolas in a variety of languages and is used by those that seek to destroy other cults, not just those of the Dragon Queen. The text is often viewed as being somewhat extreme and encourages its readers to devote their entire lives to the cause of destroying Tiamat, abandoning all other causes. The text also features what some believe are details of the event predicted to pass known as Dragonfall, where Bahamut will clash with Tiamat over Okarthel where they last fought. The details of the book are taken from various sources claiming to have foreseen the event which will involve a conflict ranging from a single climatic battle over the city to a war ravaging all of Tolas. While not the be all, end all of Bahamut’s principles, the text is the most widely available to people and is the most common religious text associated with followers of Bahamut who are often actively seeking out Tiamat cults. Dragonmount For more information on this plane, see here. Bahamut's plane is a domain known as Dragonmount, depicted as a single soaring mountain rising up into a blue sky filled with clouds and the wingbeats of dragonkin. At the top of the peak it is said Bahamut looks over the world for injustice, sending his agents where he needs them, though when a number of powerful dragons actually attempted to ascend the peak during the Silence of the Gods, they found that they were unable to find any end to the mountain, though others in their species claimed to have been granted audience with the platinum dragon there. Visitors to this plane unable to fly would find it difficult to traverse it, with few paths leading anywhere but simple shrines made by mortal pilgrims over the millennia. It is not a particular difficult plane to travel to, though most will find themselves under close watch by the dragonic denizens of the plane, not all of whom care much for the lives of mortals. Exarchs For more information on this topic, see here. * Champions of Bahamut - a collective of ten mortals that are able to unite together to form a single entity with the blessing of the Platinum Dragon. One such member is Nin Okar Okarthel, a silver kobold that has committed many terrible terrible crimes.Category:Deity Category:Bahamut Category:Dragons Category:Dragonborn